Babies with rare condition living longer thanks to advances in treatment

Almost three-quarters of babies born with a rare muscle-wasting disease are living longer thanks to advances in NHS treatment.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic condition that causes muscle weakness, along with progressive loss of movement and paralysis.

There are three types of this disease that impact children.

SMA1 manifests in babies under the age of six months and is the most severe, while SMA2 and SMA3 are less severe. They develop between the…